Monthly Archives: February 2013

A second public meeting about the 160 houses in a field

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Comments to the Planning Inspector
The town council organised another public meeting regarding the proposed development of 160 houses in a field in South Abingdon, which got turned down by the district council, and has now gone to appeal.

All previous comments made to the district council about the plans will go forward to the planning inspector, but people can make new comments to the Planning Inspector,before 15th March. People can even ask to speak at the hearings.
Comments to the Planning Inspector
The main reason the development is seen as unsustainable by a lot of locals is because of the traffic situation in South Abingdon. There was a lot of traffic on the Drayton Road after the meeting coming from South Abingdon.
Comments to the Planning Inspector
Even more leaving South Abingdon via the Iron Bridge.

Residents are faced with yet another potential development which brings with it no additional infrastructure. The development would also detract from the rural environment of the area.

The developer’s appeal says it is close enough to facilities like schools and shops to make it ‘sustainable’. That houses need to be built in this area and that the district has only plans for 3.3 years of housing – not the required 5 years.

Last Fire Station Book Sale for a while

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Big Book Sale
At the Fire Station today there was a second book sale – following on from the one last summer. Funds raised go to the Fire Fighters Charity. It will probably be the last such book sale – for a while at least, because all the remaining books are to be donated to other fund raising causes.
Big Book Sale
Traffic was congested in Ock Street this morning, but if there had been a fire then the engine was already to go. Over the last couple of weeks the more serious fires attended by the Abingdon firemen have been in places like Wallingford, Didcot, and Oxford – so the message must be getting through Fit smoke alarms …

The ugliest building in Abingdon?

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Old Abbey Timbers
In 1975 when the telephone exchange was relocated from the top floor of the old post office (bottom left) to the new building (middle centre), automatic switching equipment took over from the ladies who used to put you through. Pictures from the last day at the manual exchange, the last to operate in England, can be viewed along with other memorabilia at the Strowger Appreciation Site.

The new building has changed with the times.  As circuitry got smaller so the space on the upper storeys became redundant and has been given over to flats. It could well be the ugliest building in Abingdon, unless you know better.

How old are the timbers of the Remaining Abbey Buildings?

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Old Abbey Timbers
Samples have been taken from the timbers of the Long Gallery and the Lower Hall of the remaining domestic buildings of Abingdon Abbey. Following permission from English Heritage the work was carried out by Dr Martin Bridge and Dr Dan Miles of the Oxford Dendrochronology Lab.
Old Abbey Timbers
Thanks to Michael Harrison for this picture of one of a number of pencil like cores taken from the timbers. Together the samples will be analysed for tree rings which can represent a unique climatic pattern before the timbers were felled.

(Thanks to Elizabeth for the information. She says there may well be a competition to guess the age of the buildings.)